Happy New Year 2018!

I can’t believe that it is a year since I was writing Happy New Year for 2017 – where have the last twelve months fled?

Looking back over the year, I can see that it has been another very busy one. Although I wrote and published four books in 2016, and only (!) three in 2017, there’s been a lot of other parts of this publishing world taking up my time. When you are writer, editor, publisher, and audio commissioner, you have to keep changing hats.

First, the three books.

2017 has seen the publication in paperback and Kindle of The Huntsman’s Tale, The Merchant’s Tale, and The Lopez Affair. It has been a delight for me that they have all received such a warm response. And that is one of the joys of this new publishing world we live in – the great emails and comments I get from readers pretty well every day. In the past, writing could be quite an isolated, lonely affair, but now I feel surrounded by a wonderful crowd of readers and supportive fellow writers.

So, thank you all, so much!

Then, the seven audiobooks.

I have two lovely actors working with me at the moment. Jan Cramer is recording the Tudor Christoval Alvarez series, and Philip Battley the Oxford Medieval Mystery series. During 2017, Jan has made the unabridged recordings of Bartholomew Fair, Suffer the Little Children, and Voyage to Muscovy. She will be carrying on with more of Kit’s stories in the coming year. Also this year, Philip has recorded the whole of the Oxford series so far: The Bookseller’s Tale, The Novice’s Tale, The Huntsman’s Tale, and The Merchant’s Tale. Now, although the bulk of the work falls on the actors’ shoulders, it’s quite demanding for me, too. I listen to and edit every minute, with book and notebook in hand. I then send my comments and corrections, and the actors record their updated files. It’s quite a long process, so the seven audiobooks have eaten into the writing time of my new books. Well worth it in the long term, but – unfortunately! – there are only so many hours in the day.

And, of course, the TV deal.

Within the space of a few weeks, I had (totally unexpected) approaches from four TV and film production companies interested in making a TV series of The Chronicles of Christoval Alvarez. Although this was exciting and slightly stomach-churning, it was also something of a worry. Since going independent and running my own career, I’ve dispensed with a literary agent. However, the whole film and TV business is extremely complex and full of pitfalls for the unwary. I knew it lay quite outside my area of expertise, so I set about hunting for an agent. The difficulty is that generally a literary agent will only handle your film and TV rights if they handle all your rights, and I didn’t want that. However, in the end I found a specialist agent, working just with the film and TV rights for books, Sarah Vignoles at The Artists Partnership. She’s brilliant and took over the negotiations for me. I’ve now signed up with Mainstreet Pictures, a smallish but high-powered company. Their CVs are stunning! Obviously there is a hiatus over the Christmas and New Year period, but things should start moving again in 2018. Of course, they have to sell the series to a television company like the BBC or ITV, but their connections are first class. Still can’t quite believe this is happening!

Looking ahead to 2018.

As well as progress with the TV series, there are other things in train. Philip has been recording the unabridged version of This Rough Ocean. As this is by far my longest book, it has been a huge undertaking, but he has finished the initial recording and I have done my edits, so there’s only the final polish and the submission to go. Like all the audiobooks, it will be available from Audible, probably about the end of January or beginning of February. It’s a book which holds a particular place in my affections, telling the story of my husband’s ancestors during the English Civil War. One of the protagonists is my namesake.

Jan, as I mentioned, will be recording more of the Alvarez series. If she can fit them in, she might catch up with the published books – that is, The Play’s the Thing, That Time May Cease, and The Lopez Affair. That would be rather satisfying.

I had hoped to have the next Oxford book finished by now, as it is a Christmas story, but all my other commitments made it impossible. I am working on The Troubadour’s Tale at the moment, and hope to have it out early in 2018 – fingers crossed! And if Philip can fit it in, he will record it.

So that has been most of my year in 2017. We managed our two visits to Herefordshire in the spring and autumn, and had some big family get-togethers in the summer and autumn, but apart from that, my social life has been practically nil. I think we’ve twice had lunch out with friends, and David and I have celebrated our birthdays and anniversary with lunches out, but that is literally it! Nose to the grindstone, that’s me!

However, I need some time to unwind and simply think. I’ve noticed how many writers I know also have some sort of craft or art hobby. I think it’s related to the creative impulse, which manifests itself in something done with the hands to refresh the brain – embroidery, enamelling, painting watercolours, making models or miniatures, book-binding, carpentry, baking, rebuilding old cars . . . you name it, we do it. For me, it’s knitting, a very calm, soothing activity, with something to show for it afterwards. Here are a few recent projects:

Slipper socks designed by me

One ball of Caron Cake except for frilled edge

Some Christmas presents:

Indeed, it has been a very busy year, and I don’t see much prospect of 2018 slowing down. I’ll hope to write three books. Perhaps I’ll manage four – it all depends on other commitments. What will happen about the TV series, I wonder?

And what will you be doing in 2018? I wish you a happy, healthy, and successful 2017 – Happy New Year!

Till next time,
Ann

Comments

Finally after hard fought discipline to save The Lopez Affair until just after Christmas, it was finally time for my reward. The family returned home, some order restored to the house but the huge job of putting away dishes and beginning the job of spotting and laundering a large pile of linen tablecloths and napkins just sat while I curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea and spent several relaxing days reading. The book was wonderful as always. They just end way too soon. I did wonder, as mentioned in the book, why Walsingham did not appoint a successor or why the Queen did not choose between Robert Cecil and Lord Essex. Did she not realize that her security was more at risk by not having an intelligence service that continued more or less seemlessly? Surely, it was not just for the love of Essex!

You have certainly had a busy but wonderful year and the upcoming one seems as jam packed as the last. BUT, I cannot resist hoping you might soon have room for one more item: lovely hard bound volumes, maybe limited edition sets? The softcovers are beautifully done (the artwork you find is amazing) the price is very attractive, but there is just nothing like lovely hardbacks on library shelves. I reread the sets while I wait for the next volume and no matter how careful, the softcovers show their wear. Is there a possibility a lovely hardback might be there in the future?

Thank you for the wonderful new volume, and I look forward to the next Oxford Mystery.

I’m glad you found it worth the wait, Kristen! I’m sometimes guilty of reading half the night when I can’t bear to put a book down.

As for Elizabeth not making a straight choice, this was absolutely characteristic of her. You could say that she was indecisive, or you could say that she very cleverly played the various ambitious men around her off against each other, thus keeping them on their toes. I’m sure that was what she was doing in this case. In the end, Essex destroyed himself (of which more in a later book).

I love hardbacks too, and I do actually buy them, but they are very expensive to produce unless you have a guaranteed sale for thousands. So few people buy them now, I fear it wouldn’t be feasible, much as I would love to have them. The designs for the covers are my own, and I mostly find all the elements, then I work with Jane, my cover designer, to produce the finished version.

Books are a big weakness. I still have a library. It isn’t too large but it is lovingly stocked, and the contents frequently read. For all favorite authors or books I consider a really great read, I generally buy both a kindle version and a hardback. I guess I will begin to do the same with your wonderful books. The softbacks are very attractive and they are getting a little worn on the edges.

I do understand about the expense of hardbacks but I am addicted and see no hope for a cure.

I know the story of Essex well and will be interested to read your take on it. For all I’ve read about Elisabeth, having you describe her as indecisive makes other things about her make more sense,

I hope your 2018 is more wonderful than your 2017! You have given me such a great 2017, I will look forward to the fruits of 2018.

Dear Ms. Swinfen, Thank you for your hard work this year. I have only recently discovered your work, thanks to an email called Bookbub. Since I am interested in history, your work is right up my alley. Your research and your language make for wonderful stories where one gets immersed in that time. For instance, at the time potatoes were unknown, so reading about what people ate is very enlightening.
Thank you again. I hope you enjoy what you do more and more. It’s wonderful to be a success at what one loves to do.
Have a very Happy New Year!

Lovely to hear from you, Elizabeth. I really enjoy the research – I even have books of medieval recipes! The real problem, of course, at the time, was preserving food for the winter, and that would continue until the invention of refrigeration. We have things very easy nowadays!

Thank you Ann for your NY message and your inspirational Blogs and of course the books. How you manage to fit so much in to your busy schedule I cannot imagine but do keep it up. You bring so much pleasure to your readers and fingers crossed, viewers. Best wishes to you and yours.

I’d like you to know how very much I appreciate all the effort that goes in to an audiobook. While a few clicks and swipes is all it takes on my end i see from reading your entry here that clearly mine is the easy part of this exchange!! A book, cozy blanket and a cup of tea would be my preferred method of enjoying your latest book however there’s not nearly enough time lately. I was thrilled to try my first listening endeavor recently and it has been a pleasure to go about my day with Phillip Battely tucked in my ear . . . Milking cows, cleaning barn, doctoring sick cows and birthing a calf have been just some of my daily duties – the whole time hearing the Oxford stories read most excellently in the background. Honestly, these last week’s of -15’s and -20’s temperatures I couldn’t have made it through without the pleasant distraction!
(That’s Fahrenheit here in northern Minnesota so you UK folks will have to work that out yourself!)

Heavens, Rachel, I feel cold just reading this! Here I am, far to the north in Scotland, and it’s raining! I am so glad that Philip and I have been helping you through a tough time. I’ve shared this with Philip, and like me he was delighted. It makes all the hard work worthwhile. In fact there is even more to the audio process than I describe above. Before the actors even start recording, we have careful discussions about various accents and how to bring out the various personalities. For example, in the recent recording Philip has been doing of This Rough Ocean, he had to do Irish and Welsh accents as well as educated and rural Staffordshire, and working class London. Then there’s a whole host of 17th century Members of Parliament, from different parts of the country, of different ages, with a variety of different personalities. I couldn’t begin to do this myself. He’s now practicing Provençal and Casitilian accents for The Troubadour’s Tale. He had to sing a bit in This Rough Ocean. Haven’t decided yet whether he’ll need to sing like a troubadour!!!!